Tag: Mohamed Salah

Hours later, it emerged that one of the tournament’s most popular players, the Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah, was considering retiring from his national team in the wake of his interactions with a Chechen politician. FIFA’s political problems began when the Swiss players Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri both made the so-called double-eagle symbol with their hands after scoring in a 2-1 victory against Serbia. The gesture, made by linking the thumbs and fanning out the fingers on both hands, is a nationalist sign that many with ethnic Albanian roots make to symbolize the black eagle in Albania’s flag. In Serbia, however, the gesture was viewed as a provocation. Serbia’s soccer federation faced its own disciplinary proceeding, though, for a display of political messages by its fans during the game. Image Then came word that Salah, Egypt’s biggest star, was considering retiring from the national team once the World Cup ended after he was drawn into a political controversy related to his federation’s decision to live and train in Chechnya during the tournament. Salah has become one of the world’s highest-profile players over the past year, and he was the star attraction at Egypt’s training facility in Grozny, the capital of the Russian province of Chechnya. On the eve of the tournament, photos emerged of Salah alongside Ramzan A. Kadyrov, the Chechen leader, at Egypt’s first training session. If Serbia defeats Brazil and Switzerland loses to Costa Rica, the Serbs could advance ahead of Switzerland. Switzerland has no beef in this battle.” Others pointed to another hand gesture that has not yet been punished: the Serbian three-finger salute, which is seen as a nationalist symbol.